Pastor suffers stroke in ICE detention, will remain in custody pending removal
Published August 11, 2026
A Liberian pastor in North Carolina suffered a stroke while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his family says as they are seeking answers about the medical care he received.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 55-year-old Gabriel Johnson during a targeted immigration enforcement operation on July 15, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told The Christian Post.
“He entered the country on December 30, 1987, on a visa that allowed him to remain in the country for six months," the spokesperson said. "In violation of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his visa. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal in January 1991. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal."
Johnson, an associate pastor at Elm Grove Church Ministries, Inc., of Pikeville, North Carolina, was transported to a hospital on July 30 with stroke-like symptoms and is "being monitored for high blood pressure," the spokesperson added. He is in stable condition.
ICE agents took Johnson, a citizen of Liberia who arrived in the United States at age 15, into custody at the family’s home in Cary, North Carolina, NewsNation reports.
His family contends that Johnson has maintained legal immigration status since he came to the U.S. but never became a citizen. He earned a degree from North Carolina Central University, an institution historically serving black students, and later became an ordained pastor.
His family contends that Johnson has maintained legal immigration status since he came to the U.S. but never became a citizen. He earned a degree from North Carolina Central University, an institution historically serving black students, and later became an ordained pastor.
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